Mother-Baby-Toddler Group Guide: A Psychodynamic Approach
About this ebook
The guidelines provide a detailed psychodynamic approach to resolve typical developmental and mothering difficulties that arise during the first three years of life. As mothers' thoughts about their babies and toddlers ricochet between the past, the present, and the future, mothers' childhood memories are activated and out of awareness influence mother-child interactions. Specific interventions that generate mothers' self-reflection and insight are delineated. Group questions are organized by age and psychodynamic theme. Compelling vignettes illustrate synergies between the supportive and educational group-process, and the psychodynamic interventions with each mother-child dyad. Difficulties are resolved before they escalate into disorders. This is the first psychodynamic group guide to extend the infant mental health focus on treatment, to include prevention.
Experienced clinicians, students, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and others interested in infant mental health and mothers’ well-being will find the specific guidelines practical, informative, and illuminating.
About the author
Ilene S. Lefcourt established the Sackler Lefcourt Center for Child Development in 1982. She was the director, led the mother-baby-toddler groups, and provided developmental consultation to parents for over 35 years. She taught child psychiatry residents and parent-infant psychotherapy trainees about her work. She has been a faculty member at the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research Parent-Infant Program since 1995. Ms. Lefcourt is currently in private practice in NYC. She is the author of Parenting and Childhood Memories: A Psychoanalytic Approach to Reverberating Ghosts and Magic.
